Do animals laugh? New study says….
A UCLA graduate student and professor found vocal play signals — or laughter — in at least 65 species, ranging from cows to seals.
Humans are unlikely to recognize animal laughter, and vocal play signals are “usually inconspicuous,” said UCLA professor of communication Greg Bryant.
The researchers searched for indicators such as whether the sounds were noisy or tonal, loud or quiet, short or long, singular or rhythmic.
“When we laugh, we are often providing information to others that we are having fun and also inviting others to join,” UCLA anthropology graduate student Sasha Winkler said. “Some scholars have suggested that this kind of vocal behavior is shared across many animals who play, and as such, laughter is our human version of an evolutionarily old vocal play signal.”
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